Terms & Conditions

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using the ASTIN website (www.astinaspire.com), the ASTIN App, or any of our services, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions and all policies incorporated herein, including our Privacy Policy, Refund Policy, and Cancellation Policy.

If you do not agree to these terms, please discontinue use of our platform immediately.

We reserve the right to update these terms at any time. Continued use of our platform after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

2. Our Services

ASTIN is a cross-border commerce marketplace that connects Indian sellers with buyers in GCC countries. Our services include:

• An online marketplace platform for listing and purchasing Indian products
• Multi-currency pricing (INR for sellers; AED, SAR, BHD, KWD, QAR, OMR for buyers)
• Order management and fulfillment coordination
• International shipping facilitation through our logistics partner ShipGlobal
• Seller registration, onboarding, and account management
• Customer support via email and WhatsApp

ASTIN acts as a marketplace intermediary. While we facilitate transactions between buyers and sellers, we are not responsible for the quality, safety, legality, or authenticity of listed products unless otherwise stated.

3. Buyer Terms

Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years of age to make purchases on ASTIN. By placing an order, you confirm you are of legal age in your jurisdiction.

Placing Orders

• All orders are subject to product availability and seller confirmation.
• Prices displayed include applicable conversion to your local currency at the prevailing rate.
• Shipping charges are calculated and displayed at checkout based on weight and destination.
• ASTIN operates a weight-based combo shipping system — multiple items can be combined up to 400g for the same base shipping cost.

Customs & Duties

• International shipments may be subject to customs duties, taxes, or import fees levied by the destination country.
• These charges are the buyer's responsibility and are not included in the order total.
• ASTIN will provide accurate commercial invoices and product descriptions to assist with customs clearance.

Buyer Conduct

• Buyers must provide accurate shipping address and contact information.
• Fraudulent orders, chargebacks without valid reason, or misuse of the platform may result in account suspension.

4. Seller Terms

Registration & Onboarding

• Sellers must register through the official ASTIN seller registration form.
• All provided information (business name, contact, bank details, product details) must be accurate and current.
• ASTIN reserves the right to reject, suspend, or terminate any seller account without prior notice if terms are violated.

Commission & Pricing

• There are NO upfront registration fees, listing fees, or monthly charges.
• ASTIN charges a 10% commission only after a successful sale. Sellers receive 90% of the sale amount.
• Sellers must price products in Indian Rupees (INR). ASTIN handles currency conversion for GCC buyers.

Product Listings

• Sellers are solely responsible for the accuracy of product descriptions, images, and pricing.
• Products must comply with Indian export regulations and destination country import regulations.
• Prohibited items include but are not limited to: weapons, narcotics, counterfeit goods, items infringing intellectual property rights, and any items banned under Indian export law or GCC import regulations.
• ASTIN reserves the right to remove any listing that violates these terms.

Shipping & Fulfillment

• Upon order confirmation, sellers must have products ready for pickup within the agreed timeframe.
• Products must be properly packaged to withstand international shipping conditions.
• ASTIN coordinates pickup and international delivery through ShipGlobal.

Seller Responsibilities

• Sellers are responsible for the authenticity and quality of their products.
• Sellers must maintain adequate stock for listed products.
• Misrepresentation of products, fraudulent activity, or repeated policy violations will result in permanent account termination.

5. Payment Terms & Gateway

Payment Processing

All payments on the ASTIN platform are processed through our authorized payment gateway, in partnership with IDFC FIRST Bank. By making a payment, you agree to the payment gateway's terms and conditions.

Accepted Payment Methods

• Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, RuPay, and other supported networks)
• Debit cards
• UPI (Unified Payments Interface) — for Indian buyers
• Net banking
• International card payments — for GCC buyers

Currency

• Indian buyers pay in INR (Indian Rupees).
• GCC buyers may pay in their local currency (AED, SAR, BHD, KWD, QAR, OMR).
• Currency conversion rates are applied at the time of checkout. Exchange rates may fluctuate.

Payment Security

• All payment transactions are secured with SSL/TLS encryption.
• ASTIN does not store your full card details on our servers.
• Payment data is handled exclusively by our PCI-DSS compliant payment gateway.

Failed Transactions

• If a payment fails but your account is debited, the amount will be refunded to your original payment method within 5–7 business days through the payment gateway's chargeback mechanism.
• Contact us immediately if you experience any unauthorized charge.

6. Shipping & Delivery

International shipping from India to GCC countries is handled by our logistics partner ShipGlobal (shipglobal.in).

Estimated Delivery Times

• UAE: 5–10 business days after dispatch
• Saudi Arabia: 7–12 business days after dispatch
• Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman: 7–14 business days after dispatch
• Delivery times are estimates and may vary due to customs clearance, local holidays, or circumstances beyond our control.

Tracking

• A tracking number will be provided once your order is dispatched.
• Buyers can track shipments through the ShipGlobal tracking system.

Shipping Liability

• ASTIN and ShipGlobal are not liable for delays caused by customs authorities or force majeure events.
• Packages lost or damaged in transit will be subject to investigation by ShipGlobal's claims process.

For detailed shipping information, visit our Shipping Info page.

7. Intellectual Property

All content on the ASTIN platform — including but not limited to logos, brand name, website design, graphics, text, and software — is the property of ASTIN Aspire to Inspire Private Limited or its licensors, protected under Indian and international intellectual property laws.

• You may not reproduce, modify, distribute, or commercially exploit any ASTIN content without prior written permission.
• Sellers grant ASTIN a non-exclusive license to display product images and descriptions on the platform for the purpose of facilitating sales.
• Sellers confirm they hold rights to all content they upload and indemnify ASTIN against any third-party intellectual property claims.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

• ASTIN is not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of our platform.
• ASTIN's total liability for any claim arising from the use of our services shall not exceed the total amount paid by you for the specific transaction giving rise to the claim.
• ASTIN is not responsible for the acts or omissions of third-party service providers (ShipGlobal, payment gateway, etc.).
• We do not guarantee uninterrupted, error-free access to our platform.

9. Governing Law

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of India, without regard to conflict of law provisions. Any disputes arising from or related to these terms or the use of ASTIN services shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts in Kerala, India.

For disputes involving consumers located in GCC countries, ASTIN will make reasonable efforts to resolve the matter amicably before resorting to formal legal proceedings.

10. Refund Eligibility

We want every buyer to be satisfied with their ASTIN purchase. Refunds may be issued under the following circumstances:

Eligible for Full Refund

• Item not delivered: The shipment is confirmed lost by ShipGlobal after investigation.
• Wrong item received: You received an item materially different from what was ordered.
• Item arrived significantly damaged: The product is damaged due to shipping mishandling (photographic evidence required within 48 hours of delivery).
• Cancelled before dispatch: Your order was successfully cancelled before the item was dispatched (see Cancellation Policy).

Eligible for Partial Refund

• Minor defect: Product has a minor defect that was not disclosed in the listing, and the buyer chooses to keep the item.
• Partial shipment: Only part of a multi-item order was delivered (refund for undelivered items).

Reporting a Refund Claim

• Refund claims must be submitted within 7 days of delivery (or expected delivery date for lost items).
• Claims submitted after 7 days will not be entertained unless exceptional circumstances apply.
• Contact us via WhatsApp at +91 9895 183326 or email at akhileshskumar64@gmail.com with your order number and supporting evidence.

11. Refund Process

Once your refund request is received:

1. Acknowledgement: We will acknowledge your claim within 2 business days.
2. Investigation: We will investigate your claim, which may include contacting the seller or ShipGlobal. This takes 3–7 business days.
3. Decision: You will be notified of the outcome via email or WhatsApp.
4. Refund Initiation: If approved, refunds are initiated within 2 business days of the decision.
5. Credit to Account: Funds appear in your account based on the refund timeline (Section 13).

12. Non-Refundable Items & Situations

Refunds will NOT be issued in the following cases:

• Buyer's remorse — you changed your mind after receiving the product and the item matches the description.
• Incorrect shipping address provided by the buyer resulting in failed delivery.
• Damage caused by the buyer after delivery.
• Items that were clearly marked as "final sale" or "non-refundable" at the time of purchase.
• Perishable goods or items with a clearly stated no-return policy by the seller.
• Delays due to customs clearance, local holidays, or force majeure events beyond our control.
• Claims submitted after 7 days of delivery (unless exceptional circumstances are accepted by ASTIN at its discretion).

13. Refund Timeline

After a refund is approved and initiated by ASTIN, the time for the amount to reflect in your account depends on your payment method:

These timelines are after ASTIN initiates the refund. Actual processing times depend on your bank or payment provider and may vary.

14. Buyer Cancellation

Before Dispatch

Buyers may cancel an order within 24 hours of placing the order, provided the item has not yet been dispatched by the seller.

• To cancel, contact us immediately via WhatsApp at +91 9895 183326 or email at akhileshskumar64@gmail.com with your order number and reason for cancellation.
• If cancellation is confirmed before dispatch, a full refund will be processed to your original payment method.
• Cancellation requests received after 24 hours but before dispatch will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

After Dispatch

• Once an order has been picked up by ShipGlobal and is in transit, cancellation is not possible.
• If you no longer want the item after dispatch, it must be received by you first. You may then raise a refund request as per our Refund Policy (applicable conditions apply).

15. Seller Cancellation

Sellers should fulfill all confirmed orders. However, in exceptional circumstances where a seller cannot fulfill an order:

• The seller must notify ASTIN immediately via WhatsApp or email with the order number and reason.
• ASTIN will inform the buyer and initiate a full refund within 2 business days of receiving notification.
• Repeated cancellations by a seller may result in account suspension or termination.
• Sellers who consistently cancel orders (more than 5% cancellation rate) will be subject to review and may face penalties.

16. ASTIN-Initiated Cancellation

ASTIN reserves the right to cancel an order under the following circumstances:

• The product is found to be prohibited under Indian export law or GCC import regulations.
• Suspected fraudulent transaction or unauthorized use of payment method.
• Payment failure or chargeback initiated by the buyer's bank before dispatch.
• Seller is unable to fulfill the order and no replacement is available.
• Force majeure events (natural disasters, pandemics, war, government restrictions) that make fulfillment impossible.

In all ASTIN-initiated cancellations, a full refund of the paid amount will be processed within 5–7 business days to the original payment method.

17. Contact & Dispute Resolution

We believe in resolving disputes amicably. If you have any concerns about a transaction, order, refund, or these terms, please contact us first:

Dispute Resolution Process

1. Step 1 — Direct Contact: Contact ASTIN at the above details. We aim to resolve disputes within 7 business days.
2. Step 2 — Escalation: If unresolved, you may escalate to a formal written complaint addressed to the CEO.
3. Step 3 — Mediation: Both parties agree to attempt mediation in good faith before pursuing legal action.
4. Step 4 — Legal Proceedings: If mediation fails, disputes shall be resolved through the courts of Kerala, India, under Indian law.